Best decision we ever made! Clean/simple design, easy to operate, no mess save for a few stray kernels, about the size of a blender so fits in our kitchen storage, and I feel confident in its life expectancy because it's a plug-and-run gadget (no settings, no power levels, does the job in 2-3 minutes then it unplugs and is off until next time). We decided to invest in one of these because 1) this family consumes popcorn several times a week 2) I prohibit microwaved and/or packaged foods 3) I was getting tired of making stovetop popcorn several times a week at the request of my constituents. Also important to note, whether you're stove or air-popping, one bag of kernels goes a very long way, saving you money and cabinet space and saving the environment on packaging material. Plus, flavoring your own popcorn allows you to control salt and fat quantities, experiment with new flavors (I like cayenne, turmeric, and paprika), or let the kids create new flavors.
With the white popcorn, some of it tended to fly out before it popped. Tipping it back a little helped keep it in the popper. Also, the booklet that came with the machine stated white popcorn pops smaller. I purchased Orville yellow corn also, just to see the difference. Wow, get the yellow corn! Bigger, fluffier, and fills the bowl fuller with the same amount of seed. The pic is 1/2 cup yellow corn in the blue bowl and 1/2 cup white corn in the white bowl. Big difference. These are huge bowls. This popper makes popcorn cheaper and healthier than microwave popcorn. And brings back childhood memories. Lots of fun and if you eat popcorn regularly, the popper pays for itself. I didn't before, but it's really quick, fun, cheap, easy, and healthy, so I'm about to eat it a whole lot more.
Love it! I did a lot of research on different popcorn machines and this one seemed to be a good fit. A lot of reviews people were complaining that kernels popped out and on the floor but to me it was something I would expect. I don't get upset by the small things, and it would only be like maybe 5 kernels that would pop out. I didn't mind it though, like I said earlier, from a popcorn machine maker that is something that I expected and it wasn't much at all. Came right on time and we've already used it 5 times. Good buy!
The Presto 04820 PopLite Hot Air Popper was a very nice purchase. It makes a healthy snack making popcorn with only hot air. The air popper works very well. It has a solid construction, and it is lightweight and easy to clean. It weighs about 3 1/2 pounds, and the footprint is fairly small. The unit comes apart easily for storage. Cleaning is a breeze. You do not have to clean it after each use other than the butter tray if you use it. It leaves less un-popped kernels using hot air to pop the kernels. Pops regular or gourmet popcorn with hot air and no oil, for a healthy, low calorie snack. There is a butter tray on top that is removable. Butter melts from heat as you use the machine, and you have melted butter to pour over your freshly popped popcorn if you desire. For a healthier alternative, you can spray some olive oil or coconut oil to your popcorn instead of using butter or margarine. You can use salt and other seasonings like cayenne pepper, paprika, curry, cumin, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder or garlic salt or other seasons to flavor your popcorn. You can even use cocoa powder if you want a chocolate flavor popcorn. You can be as creative as you would like to be. You can use instant pudding mix or pie-filling mix with some corn syrup, some butter and a little vanilla, warm it in a microwave and mix to make a nice sweet coating to pour on your popcorn to toss and coat. You can bake it a little to harden and crisp if you'd like.. This is a very fun machine. It is fast and easy to operate, and you can have freshly popped popcorn with no mess in a minute or two. This machine can last a long time with care, and it is a definite must for movie nights. I recommend his simple to use machine. Popping popcorn with an air popper is a money saver. Amazon has it at a good price. If you have Amazon Prime, the 2-day Free shipping is very nice. I recommend this air popper for sure.
I love this thing, but you must understand its purpose and function. 1) By the time you plug it in, the kernels should already be loaded and the top on. You should be standing by with a (large) bowl to catch the output. Don't try to preheat or anything silly, the directions expressly tell you this. 2) This thing makes a lot of popcorn. Filling the measuring cup to half gets you four to five cups of popcorn, and full gets you between eight and ten cups (with standard yellow popcorn). Fill it less than half and it starts spitting out far more kernels than usual, and over-filling is, of course, bad. It will pop so much popcorn that they can't eject fast enough and end up scorching. This means if you only want a cup or two, this machine may not be your best bet. 3) It's a home device meant for a batch or two (which is is sixteen to twenty cups). It will need some cooling time in between batches if you're popping more than that. If you're trying to pop fundraiser-quantities of popcorn, you should probably look elsewhere. For our purpose, this thing is absolutely awesome. In two or three months it will pay itself off, and I can eat healthy additive/preservative-free popcorn all day long. My recipe is simple: a second or two of cooking spray (canola=no calories, olive oil=tastier), and a liberal sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning. Has a lot of sodium, but adds almost no calories to thr popcorn. *I will not update this review unless something negative happens requiring it.
My wife and I love air popped popcorn. Her favorite part is the duds at the bottom of the bowl, and I always enjoy the slow routine of the air popping experience. Three scoops of kernels, plenty of time to measure and microwave the butter while I wait for the bowl to fill. In the meantime, sit and ponder the meaning of life as the popcorn slowly spills out of the popper. She saw this popper and thought it was cuter than our current boxy purple one, so I figured, "why not?" Looks sort Christmas-y! So to the Christmas list it went. I was intrigued by the difference in design to our old popper, and after opening it Christmas morning, she of course wanted some fluffy, buttery wonder. Into the kitchen I went. Tossing the directions, I dump in three scoops of kernels, and smile, as now it's time to get out the butter and contemplate. As I begin the timer, I notice it's been a few seconds longer than usual with no popping. "Interesting," I think to myself, "this new popper allows me more time to think while I wait. This is nice." Suddenly, it happens. All the popping begins at once. "Oh, okay I suppose it must be a bit faster overall. Oh well, that's okay I suppose," as the popcorn begins gushing from the spout. It fills the bowl to the line of the previous purple popper in just moments, but it doesn't stop! I don't understand what's happening, I used the same amount of kernels as always! What is this new red popper doing?? The bowl begins to overflow. All over the counter, some barreling into the sink and even more dropping to the floor! I grab another bowl to catch the overflow. "It's so fluffy, it weighs almost nothing," I realize as the second bowl begins to overflow. And abruptly, just as quickly as it began, it stops. I hear a single kernel bouncing in the popper as I give up trying to save them from the floor. "It can't be," I think to myself. "Where are all the duds?" I ask myself as the microwave tells me the 16 seconds for the butter is complete, and the final, lonely kernel gives a weak, yet audible "poof", and leaps onto the mountain that was once an empty bowl. "16 seconds? All of this, in just 16 seconds?" my mind tries to comprehend as I stare into the emptiness I have come to expect be filled with dud kernels and peaceful contemplation. Forlorn, I mope into the living room, empty handed. Sitting on the couch, I look into those beautiful brown eyes and break the news. "Honey. There aren't any duds." I see those eyes begin to well up with tears. I grab hold of her and sob, "and I will never understand the meaning of life. Damn you! Damn you National Presto 04860 Poplite Hit Air Popper!"
I like to make popcorn from Orville R Original or White Corn and both work well in this popper. I previously made popcorn in the microwave in a pyrex bowl, and also on my induction cooktop with a large covered pan. The former resulted in too many uncooked kernels and the latter was messy and didn't give me the option of "dry" popcorn (had to use oil to cook). This popper is quick, no cleanup and pops the corn before optional buttering. I've used it a half dozen times already with no issues. I've even tried melting butter in the measuring cup with good results using tub butter that has been out of the fridge for a time to warm up. Yes, a couple unpopped kernels will rocket out before the popping starts, but with a really big bowl in place to catch them it's no problem. I am not a big fan of single-purpose kitchen gadgets but this is an exception.
This is a good popcorn maker. You simply put the popcorn kernels in the machine, plug it in, and place a large bowl under the output area. You get freshly popped popcorn that you can season however you want. It does throw some hot kernels at first before the popcorn starts popping, so you do have to be careful with your bowl placement and clear them out if you don't want to run into them when eating. Overall, however, we have found that it pops almost all of the kernels each time, and clean up has been a breeze. One small durability note, the butter softener on top seems to have some trouble with the heat generated by the unit. The butter does not completely soften (unless you soften it first in the microwave, which I think kind of defeats the point), but somehow the corner of our butter softener dish has melted. Not sure how or when it happened as we don't use that tray very often, but now we have to maneuver it a bit to get it to fit in its slot. Not a deal breaker by any means, but something to be aware of. The biggest problem I have with the unit is that there is no off switch; you just have to unplug the unit. Other reviews seem to suggest that it has an auto-off feature, but ours has never turned off on its own, which means you are pulling a live plug out of the wall. Not the safest thing in the world, so make sure you are not letting kids do this on their own unless they know how to handle the plug properly to avoid potential sparks. We have made a ton of popcorn since we purchased this unit in February (we went through a bit of a popcorn craze after purchasing it), and it has shown no signs of burning out as other reviewers have found. Overall, we are pleased.
Wow, never thought I would be reviewing pop corn on the I-Net. This thing works great. I'm using the Orville corn for now, nary an unpopped kernal. You HAVE TO USE FLAVACOL to make things right (sorry for yelling), this is the secret ingredient https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W8LT10/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stay Pop Corn Thirsty My Friends
Great popcorn popper, just observe a few rules and you'll have enough popcorn for a movie festival. 1. Do not use small kernel 'gormet' popcorn. They are too light and may blow out during popping. 2. The little cup is a measuring device, fill it with corn and scrape with a straight edge to equal 1/2 cup of corn. No more no less. Don't try to melt butter in it, the cycle time is way too short to melt more than a dab of cold butter. Use your microwave to melt the butter. 3. Do use a tall bowl under the discharge chute (8 inches), this will keep all of the popcorn contained. 4. All hot air poppers may send a hot kernel out that pops outside the 'containment area' or skitters across the counter onto the floor, keep your shoes on and small childern away. 5. Any issue you have with 'old maids' not popping is a problem with the popcorn, not the popper. I get almost 100% success. Use fresh, yellow or large kernel popcorn from a vendor that turns it over quickly. You don't know how long that bag of store brand corn sat on the shelf. Too low a moisture content will equal a high number of unpopped corn kernels. 6. When the popping starts, tilt the popper back from the bowl until the side is vertical to the counter(raise the side towards the bowl about 3/4"), when the chute is almost full, you may set it back down. The no-switch complaint is a non-issue, one less thing to fail. We make popcorn about 3 to 4 times a week and this is way cheaper than microwave popcorn. Use one of the Hickory Smoked salts available from Amazon and you have bacon-flavored popcorn, what more do you want?
Billie Tyer
Best decision we ever made
Best decision we ever made! Clean/simple design, easy to operate, no mess save for a few stray kernels, about the size of a blender so fits in our kitchen storage, and I feel confident in its life expectancy because it's a plug-and-run gadget (no settings, no power levels, does the job in 2-3 minutes then it unplugs and is off until next time). We decided to invest in one of these because 1) this family consumes popcorn several times a week 2) I prohibit microwaved and/or packaged foods 3) I was getting tired of making stovetop popcorn several times a week at the request of my constituents. Also important to note, whether you're stove or air-popping, one bag of kernels goes a very long way, saving you money and cabinet space and saving the environment on packaging material. Plus, flavoring your own popcorn allows you to control salt and fat quantities, experiment with new flavors (I like cayenne, turmeric, and paprika), or let the kids create new flavors.
Juanita Walton-Spears
Yay! So much fun!
With the white popcorn, some of it tended to fly out before it popped. Tipping it back a little helped keep it in the popper. Also, the booklet that came with the machine stated white popcorn pops smaller. I purchased Orville yellow corn also, just to see the difference. Wow, get the yellow corn! Bigger, fluffier, and fills the bowl fuller with the same amount of seed. The pic is 1/2 cup yellow corn in the blue bowl and 1/2 cup white corn in the white bowl. Big difference. These are huge bowls. This popper makes popcorn cheaper and healthier than microwave popcorn. And brings back childhood memories. Lots of fun and if you eat popcorn regularly, the popper pays for itself. I didn't before, but it's really quick, fun, cheap, easy, and healthy, so I'm about to eat it a whole lot more.
Generex Tabile
Love it! I did a lot of research on ...
Love it! I did a lot of research on different popcorn machines and this one seemed to be a good fit. A lot of reviews people were complaining that kernels popped out and on the floor but to me it was something I would expect. I don't get upset by the small things, and it would only be like maybe 5 kernels that would pop out. I didn't mind it though, like I said earlier, from a popcorn machine maker that is something that I expected and it wasn't much at all. Came right on time and we've already used it 5 times. Good buy!
AL CI
Very nice air popper from Presto. Simple machine, and very durable. Easy to clean, and makes wonderful popcorn.
The Presto 04820 PopLite Hot Air Popper was a very nice purchase. It makes a healthy snack making popcorn with only hot air. The air popper works very well. It has a solid construction, and it is lightweight and easy to clean. It weighs about 3 1/2 pounds, and the footprint is fairly small. The unit comes apart easily for storage. Cleaning is a breeze. You do not have to clean it after each use other than the butter tray if you use it. It leaves less un-popped kernels using hot air to pop the kernels. Pops regular or gourmet popcorn with hot air and no oil, for a healthy, low calorie snack. There is a butter tray on top that is removable. Butter melts from heat as you use the machine, and you have melted butter to pour over your freshly popped popcorn if you desire. For a healthier alternative, you can spray some olive oil or coconut oil to your popcorn instead of using butter or margarine. You can use salt and other seasonings like cayenne pepper, paprika, curry, cumin, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder or garlic salt or other seasons to flavor your popcorn. You can even use cocoa powder if you want a chocolate flavor popcorn. You can be as creative as you would like to be. You can use instant pudding mix or pie-filling mix with some corn syrup, some butter and a little vanilla, warm it in a microwave and mix to make a nice sweet coating to pour on your popcorn to toss and coat. You can bake it a little to harden and crisp if you'd like.. This is a very fun machine. It is fast and easy to operate, and you can have freshly popped popcorn with no mess in a minute or two. This machine can last a long time with care, and it is a definite must for movie nights. I recommend his simple to use machine. Popping popcorn with an air popper is a money saver. Amazon has it at a good price. If you have Amazon Prime, the 2-day Free shipping is very nice. I recommend this air popper for sure.
Sulaimon Shukroh Modupehorlaa
Love It!
I love this thing, but you must understand its purpose and function. 1) By the time you plug it in, the kernels should already be loaded and the top on. You should be standing by with a (large) bowl to catch the output. Don't try to preheat or anything silly, the directions expressly tell you this. 2) This thing makes a lot of popcorn. Filling the measuring cup to half gets you four to five cups of popcorn, and full gets you between eight and ten cups (with standard yellow popcorn). Fill it less than half and it starts spitting out far more kernels than usual, and over-filling is, of course, bad. It will pop so much popcorn that they can't eject fast enough and end up scorching. This means if you only want a cup or two, this machine may not be your best bet. 3) It's a home device meant for a batch or two (which is is sixteen to twenty cups). It will need some cooling time in between batches if you're popping more than that. If you're trying to pop fundraiser-quantities of popcorn, you should probably look elsewhere. For our purpose, this thing is absolutely awesome. In two or three months it will pay itself off, and I can eat healthy additive/preservative-free popcorn all day long. My recipe is simple: a second or two of cooking spray (canola=no calories, olive oil=tastier), and a liberal sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning. Has a lot of sodium, but adds almost no calories to thr popcorn. *I will not update this review unless something negative happens requiring it.
Dion Nichols
If you love dud kernels and a long, meaningful air popping experience, do not buy this popper.
My wife and I love air popped popcorn. Her favorite part is the duds at the bottom of the bowl, and I always enjoy the slow routine of the air popping experience. Three scoops of kernels, plenty of time to measure and microwave the butter while I wait for the bowl to fill. In the meantime, sit and ponder the meaning of life as the popcorn slowly spills out of the popper. She saw this popper and thought it was cuter than our current boxy purple one, so I figured, "why not?" Looks sort Christmas-y! So to the Christmas list it went. I was intrigued by the difference in design to our old popper, and after opening it Christmas morning, she of course wanted some fluffy, buttery wonder. Into the kitchen I went. Tossing the directions, I dump in three scoops of kernels, and smile, as now it's time to get out the butter and contemplate. As I begin the timer, I notice it's been a few seconds longer than usual with no popping. "Interesting," I think to myself, "this new popper allows me more time to think while I wait. This is nice." Suddenly, it happens. All the popping begins at once. "Oh, okay I suppose it must be a bit faster overall. Oh well, that's okay I suppose," as the popcorn begins gushing from the spout. It fills the bowl to the line of the previous purple popper in just moments, but it doesn't stop! I don't understand what's happening, I used the same amount of kernels as always! What is this new red popper doing?? The bowl begins to overflow. All over the counter, some barreling into the sink and even more dropping to the floor! I grab another bowl to catch the overflow. "It's so fluffy, it weighs almost nothing," I realize as the second bowl begins to overflow. And abruptly, just as quickly as it began, it stops. I hear a single kernel bouncing in the popper as I give up trying to save them from the floor. "It can't be," I think to myself. "Where are all the duds?" I ask myself as the microwave tells me the 16 seconds for the butter is complete, and the final, lonely kernel gives a weak, yet audible "poof", and leaps onto the mountain that was once an empty bowl. "16 seconds? All of this, in just 16 seconds?" my mind tries to comprehend as I stare into the emptiness I have come to expect be filled with dud kernels and peaceful contemplation. Forlorn, I mope into the living room, empty handed. Sitting on the couch, I look into those beautiful brown eyes and break the news. "Honey. There aren't any duds." I see those eyes begin to well up with tears. I grab hold of her and sob, "and I will never understand the meaning of life. Damn you! Damn you National Presto 04860 Poplite Hit Air Popper!"
Tina Blanton
Works well, quick, not messy, butter/oil optional
I like to make popcorn from Orville R Original or White Corn and both work well in this popper. I previously made popcorn in the microwave in a pyrex bowl, and also on my induction cooktop with a large covered pan. The former resulted in too many uncooked kernels and the latter was messy and didn't give me the option of "dry" popcorn (had to use oil to cook). This popper is quick, no cleanup and pops the corn before optional buttering. I've used it a half dozen times already with no issues. I've even tried melting butter in the measuring cup with good results using tub butter that has been out of the fridge for a time to warm up. Yes, a couple unpopped kernels will rocket out before the popping starts, but with a really big bowl in place to catch them it's no problem. I am not a big fan of single-purpose kitchen gadgets but this is an exception.
Yoseph Shiferaw
Solid popcorn maker, but needs better shut-off design
This is a good popcorn maker. You simply put the popcorn kernels in the machine, plug it in, and place a large bowl under the output area. You get freshly popped popcorn that you can season however you want. It does throw some hot kernels at first before the popcorn starts popping, so you do have to be careful with your bowl placement and clear them out if you don't want to run into them when eating. Overall, however, we have found that it pops almost all of the kernels each time, and clean up has been a breeze. One small durability note, the butter softener on top seems to have some trouble with the heat generated by the unit. The butter does not completely soften (unless you soften it first in the microwave, which I think kind of defeats the point), but somehow the corner of our butter softener dish has melted. Not sure how or when it happened as we don't use that tray very often, but now we have to maneuver it a bit to get it to fit in its slot. Not a deal breaker by any means, but something to be aware of. The biggest problem I have with the unit is that there is no off switch; you just have to unplug the unit. Other reviews seem to suggest that it has an auto-off feature, but ours has never turned off on its own, which means you are pulling a live plug out of the wall. Not the safest thing in the world, so make sure you are not letting kids do this on their own unless they know how to handle the plug properly to avoid potential sparks. We have made a ton of popcorn since we purchased this unit in February (we went through a bit of a popcorn craze after purchasing it), and it has shown no signs of burning out as other reviewers have found. Overall, we are pleased.
Kyle Harris
Stay Pop Corn Thirsty
Wow, never thought I would be reviewing pop corn on the I-Net. This thing works great. I'm using the Orville corn for now, nary an unpopped kernal. You HAVE TO USE FLAVACOL to make things right (sorry for yelling), this is the secret ingredient https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004W8LT10/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Stay Pop Corn Thirsty My Friends
Bryan Soon
Good replacement for Popcorn Pumper
Great popcorn popper, just observe a few rules and you'll have enough popcorn for a movie festival. 1. Do not use small kernel 'gormet' popcorn. They are too light and may blow out during popping. 2. The little cup is a measuring device, fill it with corn and scrape with a straight edge to equal 1/2 cup of corn. No more no less. Don't try to melt butter in it, the cycle time is way too short to melt more than a dab of cold butter. Use your microwave to melt the butter. 3. Do use a tall bowl under the discharge chute (8 inches), this will keep all of the popcorn contained. 4. All hot air poppers may send a hot kernel out that pops outside the 'containment area' or skitters across the counter onto the floor, keep your shoes on and small childern away. 5. Any issue you have with 'old maids' not popping is a problem with the popcorn, not the popper. I get almost 100% success. Use fresh, yellow or large kernel popcorn from a vendor that turns it over quickly. You don't know how long that bag of store brand corn sat on the shelf. Too low a moisture content will equal a high number of unpopped corn kernels. 6. When the popping starts, tilt the popper back from the bowl until the side is vertical to the counter(raise the side towards the bowl about 3/4"), when the chute is almost full, you may set it back down. The no-switch complaint is a non-issue, one less thing to fail. We make popcorn about 3 to 4 times a week and this is way cheaper than microwave popcorn. Use one of the Hickory Smoked salts available from Amazon and you have bacon-flavored popcorn, what more do you want?